South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo resigned on Sunday following the team’s disappointing group-stage exit from the FIFA World Cup, bringing an end to his second stint in charge of the national side. The announcement came at the team’s training camp in Guadalajara after South Korea failed to progress to the knockout rounds as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.
Hong took full responsibility for the early exit and issued an apology to supporters, describing the campaign as a major disappointment despite its promising start.
“I would like to sincerely apologise to the citizens who have loved Korean football and always supported the national team,” Hong said, as quoted by Reuters.
“Today, I wish to step down as head coach of the South Korean national football team. Accepting this role was never an easy decision for me. However, once I made that decision, I did not consider any other reasons. I believed my only task was to fulfil the responsibility entrusted to me to the end. I failed to deliver the results the public expected. The responsibility lies entirely with me,” he added.
Hong, appointed in July 2024 as Juergen Klinsmann’s long-term successor, had guided South Korea to an 11th consecutive World Cup appearance. Expectations were high for a squad led by captain Son Heung-min and featuring key players such as Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae. South Korea began their campaign with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic but back-to-back defeats against Mexico and South Africa left them on the brink of elimination. Their fate was sealed when Congo’s 3-1 win over Uzbekistan confirmed their exit from the tournament.
PRESIDENT LEE CRITICISES TEAM SET-UP AFTER SHOCK EXIT
The early elimination triggered a strong reaction in South Korea, with President Lee Jae Myung launching a scathing critique of the national team’s leadership and football administration.
“As a former honorary professional football club chairman and, at heart, a member of the Red Devils, I feel not just surprise but deep bewilderment at this unexpected result,” Lee said in a statement on his social media account.
“Once again, it has been proven that personnel decisions determine everything. If loyalty and factionalism are valued over competence and an incapable person is appointed as a leader, the outcome is as predictable as fire,” he added, questioning the decision-making structure behind Hong’s appointment.
The president also called for a review by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism into the national team’s performance and wider football administration.
“I sincerely apologise to the public for the deep disappointment caused by this absurd situation. We will move swiftly to reform sports administration to ensure this does not happen again,” Lee said.
Hong’s resignation marks another painful World Cup campaign for South Korea, having also overseen their group-stage exit at the 2014 edition in Brazil. Despite being consistent World Cup participants with 11 consecutive appearances and reaching the semi-finals as co-hosts in 2002, the latest failure has intensified scrutiny over the direction of South Korean football.
FIFA World Cup | FIFA World Cup Schedule | FIFA World Cup Points Table | Football News
– Ends
